In an unsettling milestone for the thawing Arctic, the first commercial tanker has transited the northern sea route without an icebreaker escort, slashing the time it took to carry a load of gas from Norway to South Korea.

Now, that doesn’t mean the route was ice-free. The Christophe de Margerie is designed to power through ice up to 2.1 metres thick. But the fact Sovcomflot invested in such a vessel shows they see growth opportunities along Russia’s northern coastline, say foreign policy experts.

Arctic sea ice has markedly retreated in the past decade, a trend that is expected to continue. It has significant geopolitical implications, creating faster trade routes between Europe and Asia, and expanding Russia’s naval options.

Trump transparency

Battles within the White House over US membership of the Paris climate agreement got a lot of play in the media, but we still don’t know what arguments Donald Trump’s was hearing as he made up his mind to withdraw.

That is what the Center for Biological Diversity is trying to find out with its latest Freedom of Information Act request.